Longleaf Pines Preserve Migration Study

Longleaf Pines Preserve is the newly opened, natural area located on the north side of Highway 44 near its intersection with pioneer Trail. The county purchased the 12,000 acres acquired to date in several parcels. Some was purchased in partnership with the St. Johns River Water Management District, one block in partnership with the City of Port Orange, some for the county account alone and one large block was transferred from Florida Department of Transport. So far two trails have been opened for foot, bicycle and horse travel; the six mile long red trail, and the eleven mile blue trail. The blue trail is partially under water in all but the driest times. The trails pass through stands of longleaf pine, through acres of palmettos, along drainage ditches from past logging industry work and by a large lake originally created as a borrow pit for the construction of Highway 4. Fantastic cobwebs, beautiful water lilies and wonderful solitude are the norm.

SEVAS members visited the passable portion of the two trails on March 7, riding in the county eco-buggy. The club subsequently agreed to perform a spring migration bird inventory of the preserve for the county. The plan developed calls for species identification along the red trail, one unmarked trail and as much of the blue trail as personnel and conditions permit. While one or two people travel in the logistics vehicle, most walk one to two mile sections of the trails. The first audit was performed March 14. Subsequent inventories will be taken March 28, April 11, April 25 and May 9.

On March 14, six club members assembled at the K-Mart lot on SR44 in New Smyrna Beach at 8:00 A.M. and travelled to the west parking area of the preserve. There they met Danielle Ivey, Volusia County Environmental Specialist, who provided an extra vehicle and opened the access gates to allow vehicle entry to drop off and pick up the birders. Only the west side of the preserve was worked, partly because of a shortage of people and partly because West Volusia Audubon was holding a Birding 101 course on the east side. Their sightings are being incorporated into our summary.

The adventure ended about 11:30 A.M. and several things were obvious.

· The preserve is a fantastic treasure and an amazing place to visit.

· There is a lot of bird life in the trees and on the ground.

· The ability to bird by ear is a tremendous, if not completely necessary, asset.

· Being on a path among tall pines or in a field of palmettos is an awesome experience.

Thirty-eight species were identified during this morning. The West Volusia folks added seven species to the list.

A list of the birds seen or heard follows. If you can help on any or all of the upcoming audits, please contact Don Picard, 386-957-1886, or Ken Gunn, 386-423-2334. Come on out and join the team. There is enough fun to go around.

March 14 Species List

Double-crested Cormorant

Least Bittern

Green Heron

White Ibis

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Wild Turkey

Sora

Sandhill Crane

Mourning Dove

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

White-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Carolina Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Eastern Bluebird

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Parula

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Pine Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Palm Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Eastern Towhee

Savannah Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark